Chapter 52: Daddies Don't Get Mad

The phone couldn't be ringing. It just couldn't. He hadn't gotten home until almost four in the morning and finally had a day to sleep in. Except now the phone was ringing and waking him up. He groaned and rolled over, hoping it would stop. He let out another loud groan before reaching over and answering the phone, still half asleep. "Hello?"

"Hello, is Ms. Grey available?"

"No...She's um...She's at work." Derek yawned.

"Oh...I'm Principal Sanders at the Seattle Elementary school." The woman's voice said into the phone.

"Is Dawsyn okay?"

"She's fine, but I'm afraid she's in trouble."

"Great..." Derek groaned, sitting up in bed. "This is Derek Shepherd...I'm Ms. Grey's boyfriend..."

"Yes she added you to Dawsyn's emergency contact card."

"Yeah..."

"Dawsyn asked her teacher this morning to take out Rufus, the class bunny and well her teacher said no." The principal explained. "Then she continued to do so..."

"Great...That's just..."

"When her teacher told her to stop, she let the bunny go and they had to spend two hours looking for it."

"I'll be sure to tell Mer...her mom."

"Thank you." The woman sighed. "I'm afraid I'm going to need you to pick her up immediately."

"I...what?" Derek asked.

"If you know Dawsyn Grey well enough, you know this isn't the first time she's pulled a stunt like this." The principal added. "She's been suspended for the remainder of the week."

"Seriously?"

"I assume you'll be here to pick her up soon."

"I'll be right there." Derek groaned.

"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd."

"Thank you." He sighed, hanging up the phone. He didn't need this. He spent all night in surgery and needed to sleep. Now, he had to get up and go pick Dawsyn up from school. He didn't know why she did these things. They had one week until they were leaving for New York. She promised them she would be on her best behavior until then and during the trip.

He grabbed his jeans and shirt and pulled them on, left the house without showering and drove to Dawsyn's school. She was going to be punished for this. She had to be. He groaned as he walked into the school office and saw Dawsyn sitting in a chair next to an open office door.

"It's not as bad as she said." Dawsyn said quickly.

"We'll see about that." Derek said, knocking on the open door.

"Dr. Shepherd." Principal Sanders smiled, standing from her desk.

"Principal Sanders." Derek nodded.

"I want to assure you Ms. Dawsyn is a delight to have here, and she has always been very special to us." The principal smiled at the little girl. "But she also knows we can't tolerate this behavior."

"Yes...She does know." Derek said, looking down at Dawsyn.

"Dawsyn..." She knelt down to Dawsyn's level. "I know you're sorry, but you know that you're in trouble. I hope you'll use this time wisely to think about what you did."

"Does this mean I can't come back to school?"

"Not until after winter break because you were suspended for the remainder of this week."

"I didn't do anything that bad." Dawsyn complained.

"I had a talk with her." Ms. Sanders stood, looking to Derek. "She's a spunky one...sweet and kind, but spunky."

"That's for sure." Derek sighed.

"I'll see you after break."

"Fine." Dawsyn groaned.

"Thank you Principal Sanders." Derek said, shaking the older woman's hand.

"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd." She nodded, winking at Dawsyn. "Have a great holiday."

"Come on Dawsyn." Derek said, opening the door to the office.

"Bye Ms. Sanders!" Dawsyn waved.

"Bye Dawsyn." The woman smiled, before the door closed.

"Car. Now." Derek demanded.

"Can we go get tacos for lunch?" Dawsyn asked, as Derek took her bookbag.

"No."

"Please?"

"Dawsyn, get in the car!"

"I am!" Dawsyn groaned, as Derek opened the back seat door.

"I hope you know that you're in a lot of trouble." Derek said, before closing her door and getting into the driver's seat.

"It's not my fault."

"The teacher told you not to take the rabbit out and you did. How is that not your fault?" He asked, driving out of the parking lot.

"Because it was my day to hold Rufus...My teacher said I had to wait and it wasn't fair."

"You disobeyed the teacher, Dawsyn."

"It wasn't my fault."

"Dawsyn."

"He wouldn't have gotten loose if Sadie hadn't screamed!"

"I don't care!" Derek raised his voice. "You're teacher told you not to take him out and you did!"

"So."

"We have been talking to you for weeks about doing what you're told."

"And the helper board said it was my day to hold Rufus."

"Your teacher said no."

"But..."

"No buts." Derek said, pulling up in front of their house after the short drive from school.

"I'm hungry." Dawsyn sighed.

"There's leftovers in the fridge."

"I don't want that."

"What do you want?" Derek groaned.

"Tacos."

"I'm not getting you tacos."

"But now I don't have school, so we have time."

"Dawsyn, you're in big trouble right now and tacos are a reward. So...no tacos." He said, opening the door to their apartment.

"I told you...I didn't do anything wrong."

"If you didn't do anything wrong, you wouldn't be suspended from school...which isn't your only punishment."

"It's not a big deal!" Dawsyn groaned, turning on the television.

"Turn that off right now." Derek demanded.

"But Hannah Montana is on."

"Turn it off."

"No."

"Dawsyn...Turn the television off right now."

"I don't have to." Dawsyn sighed.

"Dawsyn! Turn it off!" Derek yelled.

"Why?" Dawsyn groaned.

"Because I said so!"

"Fine." Dawsyn turned off the remote, before throwing the remote on the floor.

"Pick that up."

"You pick it up." She mumbled.

"You know what..." Derek sighed, running his hands through his hair. "You're grounded...No television. No iPod for the rest of the week."

"But..."

"No."

"No?" Dawsyn frowned, crossing her arms.

"No...No buts. You're grounded."

"No!" Dawsyn whimpered, kicking her legs. "It was my turn!"

"You're teacher told you not to do something...And you did it anyway." Derek said quietly before walking into the kitchen.

"I don't want to be grounded!"

"You should have thought about that before."

"You're being so mean." Dawsyn snapped, running into the kitchen. "You can't be mean to me!"

"That's too bad." Derek said, reaching for a bowl from the cabinet.

"My mommy wouldn't ground me!"

"You're Mommy may have her own punishment for you."

"No because I didn't do anything wrong." Dawsyn groaned, reaching for her Ipod.

"I said no iPod." Derek demanded

"I was going to put it in my room!"

"Give it to me."

"It belongs in my room."

"I'm going to keep it until next week."

"No." Dawsyn looked at him strangely, walking past him.

"Do you want it for the trip to New York?"

"Yes."

"Then give it to me right now and you can have it for the trip."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Dawsyn groaned, handing him the Ipod, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You…I didn't do anything."

"Dawsyn..." Derek said, kneeling down in front of her.

"You're my Daddy and you're supposed to be nice. You're mean and you don't even believe me!"

"Daws." He whispered. "Look at me."

"No...no." She shook her head, her face red as she coughed on her cries.

"Daws...please look at me."

"It was my turn to hold Rufus and I wanted to take a picture of Rufus to show you and tell you and...you grounded me!"

"Dawsyn, I believe you that it was your turn."

"I wasn't being bad." She cried hysterically, turning away from Derek. "I wasn't!"

"Daws...Come here please." Derek whispered.

"No...I didn't do anything wrong...you're mad at me and I'm not bad and you're mad and Daddies don't get mad and...you're angry and..." Dawsyn sobbed hysterically, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You're mad..."

"Daws..." He repeated.

"It was my turn and Daddies don't get mad and you're mad and you're not my Daddy because you're mad and..."

"Can you please listen to me?"

"No!" Dawsyn screamed.

"Fine...When you're ready to talk, I'll be here." Derek said, standing up.

"You're mad..." Dawsyn whimpered.

"I'm not mad."

"You grounded me!"

"Because you disobeyed...That doesn't mean I'm mad at you. You can't do these things and get away with it, Dawsyn."

"It was my day."

"And I believe you. But if you're teacher said no then the answer is no."

"I didn't do anything wrong." Dawsyn cried.

"You're teacher told you not to take the rabbit out of its cage and you did it anyway...That's doing something wrong." Derek explained.

"That's not fair...it was my turn and you grounded me!" Dawsyn gasped through her tears, sniffling in the middle of her words. "And...and you grounded me for no reason and that's mean and..."

"I'm not discussing this. You're grounded and that's the end of it."

"I want Mommy."

"She's at work."

"Can I...can I call her?"

"If she calls while she's on a break then I'll let you talk to her."

"I...I..." Dawsyn sniffled, sobbing even harder, her face wet from all of the tears. "I want my iPod."

"Why don't you go up to your room and calm down?"

"I want to go back to school."

"You were suspended. That's not an option."

"It wasn't my fault."

"I'm not having this conversation again."

"I don't like you." She cried, sniffling in front of him. For the first time looking away, her eyes sad.

"Your mom and I have talked to you for the past few weeks about doing what you're told and today, you didn't do that. So...I'm sorry."

"Daddies don't get mad."

"Dawsyn..."

"I...I want to go to my bedroom."

"Okay...I'm going to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so if you want one then you can come back down and get one." Derek sighed.

"I want Mommy." Dawsyn cried, turning away from him and running out of the kitchen, moments later her door slammed shut, leaving him alone.

"Yeah me too..." Derek whispered, sitting down at the kitchen table his head in his hands. He had wanted this for a long time. He had wanted her to call him Daddy. Now, she was, and she was angry with him. His heart was breaking that he was hurting Dawsyn. However, she had to know that she couldn't get away with these things anymore, even if part of him wanted to go upstairs and tell her that he loved her, and that she wasn't in trouble anymore.